In 2017, the world that Tommy Anderson, a Missouri roofing contractor, once enjoyed came to an abrupt halt after being convicted of playing a leading role in a drug plot that authorities said brought more than one ton of marijuana to St. Louis and Boston.

A federal jury found Anderson, then just 31, guilty of conspiracy counts related to drug trafficking and money laundering. Prosecutors asserted Anderson led a conspiracy that bought marijuana in California and that his co-conspirators then shipped, drove or flew it out East. 

Characterized at the time as a “kingpin,” Anderson was released from the federal prison in Marion, Ill., last year and has since been required to wear a monitoring device.

Now 38, Anderson acknowledged his operation involved millions of dollars each month. However, he said he never viewed his actions as harmful because recreational marijuana was legal in some states at the time and was becoming more socially accepted.

“It was just an entrepreneurial spirit in the wrong line of business before its time,” he told Fox 2 News in St. Louis, which first reported the story.

Anderson is the president of two companies, including Amigo Roofing & Contracting, a commercial roofing firm that he said is about to go nationwide.

He said he believes his being a non-violent offender and broader acceptance of recreational marijuana are factors contributing to a decision by President Joe Biden to commute his sentence.  Anderson also credits the nonprofit organization Last Prisoner Project for fighting on his behalf. 

“I feel like a thousand-pound block has been lifted off my shoulders,” Anderson said. “I mean, I just feel like a new lease on life.”

While he awaits details on the full legal extent of his commutation, he expects he will no longer be required to wear a monitoring device. Anderson said regular visits from his parents while being imprisoned helped keep him focused on finding a new lease on life someday.